The Keck Medicine of USC Specialty Pharmacy and Clinics is one of the primary sites in the USC Mann PGY1 Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program and it provides the doctors and patients of Keck Medicine of USC with personalized and comprehensive care in a uniquely collaborative health system setting. The pharmacy currently serves the following departments: oncology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, dermatology, neurology hepatology, and pulmonology. The resident will work closely with the providers and the specialty pharmacy team to become proficient in all aspects of patient care in a specialty pharmacy setting
The home-base practice sites will include:
- Keck Medicine of USC Specialty Pharmacy
- Keck Medical Center of USC Specialty Clinics
Clinical Services:
- Rotate through the following clinical practice settings: USC Center for Cystic Fibrosis, USC Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center, Norris Cancer Center, USC Rheumatology
- Collaborate with providers to assess appropriateness of therapy
- Tailor patient counseling and education strategies
- Drug-diseases/Drug-drug interaction monitoring
- Patient follow up and review of clinical history (laboratory data, disease progression, and provider notes in electronic health record)
- Continue to develop clinical programs to best serve patients and physicians
Pharmacy Operations:
- Benefits investigation, prior authorization, and appeal processes
- Understanding of unique billing scenarios (eg. Medicare Part B billing, medical billing, benefit coordination)
- Patient co-pay assistance and investigation of medication access options
- Inventory management
- Order fulfillment and verification
- Cold-chain distribution
Administrative Responsibilities:
- Participate in all Clinical, Operation and Quality Meetings
- Become familiar with URAC standards and how they apply to pharmacy operations
- Unique aspects of 340B-contract pharmacy operations
- Participate in pharmacy quality assurance, self-assessments reports, and address any new pharmacy-related questions
- Update protocols and policies to match current standards of practice
Scholarly Activities and Service:
- Serve as preceptors for students on clinical rotations
- Develop and facilitate case-based learning activities for pharmacy students
- Deliver didactic lectures for pharmacy or pre-pharmacy students
- Engage, coordinate, and precept in community activities such as health fairs and education outreach
- Design and execute research projects pertaining to pharmacy practice
The resident’s schedule may vary depending on ongoing activities and may include various longitudinal and elective rotations throughout the year. Below is a sample of a weekly schedule:
- Monday: Specialty Pharmacy
- Tuesday: Rheumatology/GI Clinics
- Wednesday: Multiple Sclerosis/Cystic Fibrosis Clinics
- Thursday: Resident Development and Teaching Activities
- Friday: Specialty Pharmacy